


Finicky Business

by booksnerdharrypotter



Series: percy angstson [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Darkish Percy, Death, F/M, Sad, annabeth is sad, bye bye characters, hahaha cries, ngl i would cry, the red string
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 10:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11206122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksnerdharrypotter/pseuds/booksnerdharrypotter
Summary: She loved him- every single part of him. Even the parts that would cause her pain.





	Finicky Business

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this a while ago and ngl its not the best but its sad so yeah

_"An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break."_ -Ancient Chinese Proverb.

The red string of fate will always be an interesting concept. It binds two who we are fated to be with each other, yet sometimes it may not always be right. What if it the red string had chosen two people who were right for each other, yet their love lead to a life of betrayal?

*

Society was built upon that of the red string, the thing that shows you the way to true love. Some people had claimed to see the string, while others couldn't, yet still believed it was there to guide them. They say that the moment that you look into the eyes of your intended, or even a quick brushing of the hand, the string would appear to guide you. However, some others said the string would appear when you majorly bumped your head- the shock of it caused you to finally be able to 'see', per se. Nobody was entirely sure what made the string appear, yet it was still said to exist.

Annabeth thought it was a load of old toss- a piece of finicky string being the answer to your love life? Ugh, please. Yet, while being impartial to it, Annabeth was still quite intrigued by the idea- knowledge of any kind did that, really.

It wasn't until 'the fall' that Annabeth finally believed in the ancient proverb- maybe some myths weren't a load of rubbish.

Just a normal day at school, and Annabeth was walking to her locker, so she could grab her books for the next class. As she was grabbing the last of her books, Annabeth was pushed headfirst onto the cold, hard ground. Rubbing her head, she turned around to see a bunch of hooligan boys running around like the complete idiots they were.

 _Those stupid boys, they'll get~_ Annabeth interrupted her little rant.  _Happy thoughts, Annabeth, happy thoughts._

Brushing off the pain thumping through her head, Annabeth gradually picked up her books, and stacked them up in her arms. As she readjusted her hands so she could close her locker, Annabeth saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye, seemingly following her hand. Flexing the hand, it was to be seen that a red string was tied around her pinky finger.

_Oh, shit._

*

No matter how much she tried to cut the string, it just wouldn't split apart- it was like the string of Fate in Greek mythology, it wouldn't tear until the time came. Annabeth was growing increasingly frustrated with the stupid piece of string, and her stormy grey eye flashed with anger every time someone asked what she was doing.

Annabeth proceeded to go around, and to try and follow the string, to see if it lead to anyone. After spending her lunchtime looking, Annabeth gave up in defeat, and decided to just ignore the string, and pretend to just be hallucinating. Her friends- Thalia, Piper and Hazel- asked if anything was wrong and why she was so distracted- was it  _that_  time of month?

"It's not to do with the red string business, is it? You haven't found your soulmate perhaps?" Piper asked, wiggling her eyebrows mockingly.

"No, uh... no, it isn't." Annabeth replied, zeroing in on the red thread plastered around her little finger.

"Because it's just a whole load of bullshit. Although, it is still rather cute for couples to meet that way."

Annabeth could only nod her head, completely absorbed in the matter at hand.

When she had been following the red string before, it had been like a raging inferno of red strings. They crisscrossed and overlapped one another, making it nigh on impossible to see who it really connected you to.

At school the next day, there was a load of murmuring- apparently there was a new student who had arrived at the school. He was a boy named Percy Jackson. Silent, secretive, and above all,  _good looking_. Annabeth didn't want to admit it, but yes, she thought this was new boy had all the makings of a model. However, he caused trouble in class, made all the teachers angry, got at least three detentions a week, and was above all annoying.

Annabeth also knew straight away that he had some form of mental illness. She would know- she had depression herself- and she wondered what kind of childhood he really had.

He was in most of her classes, and it was like a constant waging war deep inside Annabeth, wanting to go over and strike up a conversation with him. However, it was her mind that won, she wouldn't go over and tell him, she had her own love issues to deal with. 

She didn't mean to crash into him, yet she still managed to. It was only a couple of days since Percy had arrived at the school, and Annabeth was once again not paying attention to where she was going. And then  _crash_ , they were both sprawled on the floor, books flying everywhere.

"Ow," Percy muttered, rubbing his head through his raven black locks, his sea- green eyes flashing with pain. As he pulled his hand down from his head, Percy seemed to freeze, almost as if he'd seen something completely unreal. Annabeth knew what it was- that  _blasted_  red string, and obviously, he could now see it. 

"What?" He muttered, pulling on the string. Annabeth felt a jerk on her own string, and decided to pull her end as well. She saw Percy flinch, and Annabeth finally understood-  _Percy Jackson was her soulmate._

Annabeth could only think one thing,  _no no no._

It was almost as if a silent agreement had passed between the two- after school, it was a definite to meet up. Annabeth was nervous, unlike she had ever been before. Maybe this would be a chance to see who was really hiding beneath that mane of black hair, the baggy clothes. 

"Hey," a husky voice came from behind her. 

"Hi," Annabeth replied, turning around to face him. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, Annabeth Chase."

"Percy Jackson," he paused for a moment, and gave a little wink. "You're cute when you're flustered." 

Annabeth wasn't sure what to say, except, her face seemed to do a lot of the talking- it blushed bright red. He was a  _definite_  ladies man. The two began walking towards the nearest park, as if Fate itself was dragging the two there.

"So, this red string business. We're soulmates, huh?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, that's what I got from this whole ordeal. Huh, I always thought the red string was just a phony, yet I guess that some myths may just be true."

"Yeah, you got that, Wise Girl."

"Wise Girl?"

"Take it, it's a compliment."

"I sure hope it is."

Silence befalls the two of them, as they continued to walk to the park. Once reaching there, the two sit down on one of the old, wooden park benches. It was silent, other than the sound of the leaves rustling as the wind ripped through them, and the inconsistent chatter of the local birds. The 'couple' found each other to just enjoy each other's company, preferring that over a constant stream of words to ruin the setting. 

It was so sudden, yet for once, Annabeth's heart won over that of her mind. She wrapped her arms around Percy's neck, following her instincts. Their lips melded against one another, with Percy fighting for dominance. His tongue flicked out against her teeth, begging for entrance into Annabeth's mouth. She granted that access, and their tongues fought with one another, their teeth occasionally clashing. 

They say that love isn't measured by how long you wait, yet by how well you understand the wait. You hold your heart to them, and if they give it back, then they truly are the one for you. It had only been days since they've known each other, and only hours since they found their love, yet they had given each other a part of themselves that was only meant to stay between the two.

Annabeth held onto Percy's hair as she came up for a breath, stormy grey eyes staring into startling sea- green.

"Wow," Percy muttered, taken by complete surprise.

The moment was ruined by a sudden voice, "Find a room, you hooligans!" 

Holding onto each other's hands, the two got up and ran, giggling all the way.

*

It was said that one day, everything would make sense. All the loss, the confusion, the sadness- the puzzle pieces would one day finally click into place. 

It wasn't until a couple of years later that Annabeth finally understood where all the scars that Percy had, came from, which also led her to knowing when the depression had appeared. His stepfather had been completely abusive, to both Percy and his mother. Annabeth was in almost hysterics when she heard it- for underneath Percy's tough exterior, was a sweet, yet scared young man.

Over time, the depression had gotten slowly worse, causing Percy to have inconsistent bouts of anger, and sadness. Every time it happened, Annabeth could only watch in melancholy, not being able to do anything about it. The two had moved in together only a couple weeks ago, once Annabeth had finished college. 

Despite Percy's issue, Annabeth knew she loved him unconditionally- how could she not? She knew she'd take a bullet for him in an instance. Annabeth trusted him completely and knew he'd never do anything to harm her.

The day  _it_ happened, Percy had one of his relapses- he wasn't doing too well. Annabeth, needing some space, decided to go for a walk downtown. It was a cold, brisk morning; the freezing air was constantly biting at Annabeth's skin. She hoped that Percy was okay, he could get reckless when moody. 

Looking out at the oncoming traffic, Annabeth decided it was safe to cross- that is until she was about halfway across the road. For coming at her was a blood red car, and in the seat was Percy- his face a mask of horror. Annabeth knew instantly she was going to get hit, yet she knew it wasn't Percy's fault- his face spi;t the whole story.

Sometimes those who you would stand in front of a bullet for, end up being the one who holds the gun. We don't understand someone until we have seen the darkness they hold, and even then, trust is hard to come by. Trust takes many years to build up, yet can only take a second to lose. This wasn't Annabeth's case, she would always trust Percy, even after death. 

When your life flashes before your eyes in that instance before death, we make sure that it was a life worth watching. Annabeth saw all the happy times with Percy, and she finally understood that Life and Death were one and the same. Life and Death were friends, with the former constantly giving permanent presents to the latter.

Annabeth accepted her death, and said three little words before the car hit.

_I love you._


End file.
